Environmental stress leads to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consequently oxidative stress, which limits plant productivity. Thus, new crop cultivars that are able to overcome oxidative stress are required to address the global issues of environmental, food, and energy security. Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) is considered an emerging multifunctional crop because of its high carbohydrate content and adaptation to marginal lands. Moreover, sweetpotato offers several health benefits for the aging population, as it is rich in low-molecular-weight antioxidants (LMWAs) (e.g., carotenoids, ascorbate, tocopherols, and polyphenols), dietary fiber, potassium, and minerals. We speculate that metabolic engineering of LMWAs in sweetpotato will lead to the development of smart cultivars with enhanced levels of antioxidants and abiotic stress tolerance. This review describes the current status of metabolic engineering of LMWAs in sweetpotato and the potential of sweetpotato in ensuring food and nutrition security in the twenty-first century. Here, we focus on carotenoids, ascorbate, tocopherols, and polyphenols including anthocyanins in transgenic sweetpotato plants. Additionally, we discuss the potential role of the sweetpotato Orange (IbOr) gene, involved in carotenoid accumulation and stress tolerance, in improving crop productivity under the changing global climate and alleviating the problem of vitamin A deficiency. Genetic engineering of the biosynthetic and metabolic genes of LMWAs in sweetpotato is currently under investigation via molecular breeding. We predict that metabolic engineering of antioxidants in sweetpotato will lead to the development of new cultivars with enhanced nutritional value and abiotic stress tolerance, which will ensure global food and nutrition security in the face of climate change.

中文翻译：

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甘薯中低分子量抗氧化剂的代谢工程

环境胁迫会导致产生活性氧（ROS），从而导致氧化胁迫，从而限制了植物的生产力。因此，需要能够克服氧化胁迫的新作物品种来解决环境，食品和能源安全的全球性问题。甘薯（Ipomoea batatas[L.] Lam）因其高碳水化合物含量和对边缘土地的适应性而被视为一种新兴的多功能作物。此外，甘薯还为老龄化人群提供了多种健康益处，因为它富含低分子量抗氧化剂（LMWA）（例如类胡萝卜素，抗坏血酸，生育酚和多酚），膳食纤维，钾和矿物质。我们推测，甘薯中LMWA的代谢工程将导致具有更高抗氧化剂水平和非生物胁迫耐受性的聪明品种的发展。这篇综述描述了甜马铃薯中LMWA代谢工程的现状以及甜马铃薯在确保二十一世纪食品和营养安全方面的潜力。在这里，我们专注于类胡萝卜素，抗坏血酸，生育酚，转基因甘薯植物中的多酚和花色苷等。此外，我们讨论了甘薯的潜在作用橙色（IbOr）基因参与类胡萝卜素的积累和胁迫耐受性，在不断变化的全球气候下改善作物生产力并缓解维生素A缺乏的问题。目前正在通过分子育种研究甘薯中LMWAs的生物合成和代谢基因的遗传工程。我们预测甘薯中抗氧化剂的代谢工程将导致开发具有更高营养价值和非生物胁迫耐受性的新品种，从而在面对气候变化时确保全球粮食和营养安全。